Trump Supporters Rally in US to Protest President's Election Loss

2020-12-12

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WASHINGTON - Several thousand backers of Donald Trump returned to the nation's capital Saturday to support his failed efforts to overturn the U.S. presidential election he lost to Democratic rival Joe Biden.

Supporters in the streets of Washington cheered as Trump flew by on the Marine One helicopter on his way to the Army-Navy football game in West Point, New York.

Although the rallies have been promoted for weeks, Trump tweeted "Wow! Thousands of people forming in Washington (D.C.) for Stop the Steal. Didn't know about this, but I'll be seeing them! #MAGA."

The rallies are meant to make a statement two days before the Electoral College meets to formally elect Biden as the country's 46th president.

Events were also planned in the capitals of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona, all states where Trump's campaign has challenged vote counts.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected a Texas lawsuit aimed at invalidating the November 3 presidential election results in four battleground states that Trump lost to Biden, all but ending Trump's effort to overturn the election outcome through the courts. More than 50 federal and state court rulings have upheld Biden's victory over Trump.

The Stop the Steal rally in Washington was led by recently pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Organizers and church groups called for supporters to show up at what they called "Jerico Marches" and prayer rallies.

The rally in Washington was slated to start with marches around the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court and Justice Department "with prayers for the walls of corruption and election fraud to fall down," according to StopTheSteal.com. The plans reference the biblical miracle of the battle of Jericho, where the city's walls tumbled down after priests and soldiers paraded around it.

A post Friday from the Twitter handle "Million Maga March" read:

"MAGA" is from Trump's signature slogan, "Make America Great Again." Clashes between Trump backers and opponents in Washington last month led to fights, a stabbing and multiple arrests.

In a brief, unsigned order Friday, the Supreme Court said Texas did not have standing to sue Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, adding that the state "has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections."

"All other pending motions are dismissed as moot," the order said.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, two of the most conservative members of the court, said they would have allowed Texas to file its complaint but that they "would not grant other relief."

The lawsuit, filed on Monday by Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Trump ally, and backed by other GOP state attorneys general and 126 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, asked the Supreme Court to delay the Electoral College vote and to prevent the four states from casting their electoral votes on Monday.

In a statement, Paxton said, "It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court decided not to take this case and determine the constitutionality of these four states' failure to follow federal and state election law."

In a late-night tweet, Trump, who for days had pressed the Supreme Court to deliver him "a victory," expressed disappointment in the decision, writing: "The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!"

The 154-page lawsuit rejected by the Supreme Court rehashed previously discredited allegations of massive voting irregularities. It asserted that government officials in four states used the COVID-19 pandemic as an unconstitutional justification to loosen voting requirements. The alleged malfeasance, according to the lawsuit, opened the door to millions of illegally cast mail ballots that should be tossed aside.

Biden won 306 electoral votes - 36 more than he needs - to Trump's 232 votes, and without a court-sanctioned delay, the presidential electors are expected to approve the Democrat's victory Monday.